Fortune – MIT study: Artificial intelligence can’t replace the majority of jobs right now in cost-effective ways, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found in a study that sought to address fears about AI replacing humans in a swath of industries. In one of the first in-depth probes of the viability of AI displacing labor, researchers… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Economy
Does Working from Home Boost Productivity Growth?
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Economic Letter, January 16, 2024: “The U.S. labor market experienced a massive increase in remote and hybrid work during the COVID-19 pandemic. At its peak, more than 60% of paid workdays were done remotely—compared with only 5% before the pandemic. As of December 2023, about 30% of paid workdays… Continue Reading
World scientists’ warning: The behavioural crisis driving ecological overshoot
Merz JJ, Barnard P, Rees WE, et al. World scientists’ warning: The behavioural crisis driving ecological overshoot. Science Progress. 2023;106(3). doi:10.1177/00368504231201372 “Previously, anthropogenic ecological overshoot has been identified as a fundamental cause of the myriad symptoms we see around the globe today from biodiversity loss and ocean acidification to the disturbing rise in novel entities… Continue Reading
Is A.I. the Death of I.P.?
The New Yorker [free to read]: “Intellectual property accounts for some or all of the wealth of at least half of the world’s fifty richest people, and it has been estimated to account for fifty-two per cent of the value of U.S. merchandise exports. I.P. is the new oil. Nations sitting on a lot of… Continue Reading
Big Tech Won’t Let You Leave. Here’s a Way Out
Wired [read free]: “The platform is the canonical form of internet business: a two-sided market that facilitates connections between end-users and business customers. Uber connects drivers with riders; Amazon and eBay connect sellers with buyers; TikTok and YouTube connect performers with audiences; social media connects people with something to say with people who want to… Continue Reading
Legal Petition to Treasury Department Aims to Limit Imports from Key Seafood Companies Tied to Forced Labor
Ian Urbina – The Outlaw Ocean Project: “Shortly after we published our investigation globally, officials from several federal agencies asked if we might consider molding our findings into a formal legal petition under the Global Magnitsky Act. We agreed and recruited help from lawyers with an NGO called the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), which has… Continue Reading
The New Digital Dark Age
Wired: Online trust will reach an all-time low thanks to unchecked disinformation, AI-generated content, and social platforms pulling up their data drawbridges. “For researchers, social media has always represented greater access to data, more democratic involvement in knowledge production, and great transparency about social behavior. Getting a sense of what was happening—especially during political crises,… Continue Reading
Hackers can infect network-connected wrenches to install ransomware
Ars Technica – Researchers identify 23 vulnerabilities, some of which can exploited with no authentication. “Researchers have unearthed nearly two dozen vulnerabilities that could allow hackers to sabotage or disable a popular line of network-connected wrenches that factories around the world use to assemble sensitive instruments and devices. The vulnerabilities, reported Tuesday by researchers from… Continue Reading
AI-powered misinformation is the world’s biggest short-term threat, Davos report says
World Economic Forum – “The Global Risks Report explores some of the most severe risks we may face over the next decade, against a backdrop of rapid technological change, economic uncertainty, a warming planet and conflict. As cooperation comes under pressure, weakened economies and societies may only require the smallest shock to edge past the… Continue Reading
Who Are Middle Americans Today?
H&R Block: “Twenty million tax returns tell us they’re not who they used to be. Middle America—households with income between $45,000 and $145,000—describes most of us. This year’s Outlook on American Life report provides eye-opening insights on some of the less visible forces shaping the economy. It tells the story of two Middles, Millennials and… Continue Reading
Most States Have Tax Codes That Are Rigged To Benefit The Wealthy: Report
Huffington Post: “In many states, the tax code directly widens income inequality — and it’s a deliberate policy choice driven by low or nonexistent income taxes. A sweeping new analysis of taxes across the country reveals that in four out of every five states, the top 1% are paying a lower tax rate than their… Continue Reading
Here’s what you’re really swallowing when you drink bottled water
Washington Post [read free]: “People are swallowing hundreds of thousands of microscopic pieces of plastic each time they drink a liter of bottled water, scientists have shown — a revelation that could have profound implications for human health A new paper released Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found about 240,000… Continue Reading
